It Started With A Bang
by T3hG33k
Summary: Kate comes home to an unexpected visitor in her house. When a fight breaks out who will come to her rescue?


Authors Note:

This is my first NCIS work. It may very well be out of character. No season spoilers, I'm going to pretend the end of season 2 didn't happen if it comes down to it though.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, almost literally. Any recognizable characters or settings belong to the creators of NCIS.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Three shots. The first very well could have ended it. There would be police soon if any of her neighbors were home. Reaching into her pocket she did the only thing she could think to do. She called him.

One ring, two, three, four. Maybe he wasn't going to answer. Usually it only took two rings, three at the most.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

Silence. What was she supposed to say? What could she say? This was all so horrifically screwed up she was at a loss.

"Kate? Kate are you alright?"

"Gibbs? I...he...there was...I shot him... "

"Who Kate? I'm on my way. Where are you?"

"A...Adam… I'm at home. Police are coming."

"I'm comin' Kate. Stay put, be there in ten." Hanging up he pushed the pedal to the floor and made his way towards her apartment.

It was a flurry of activity from the moment he hung up. Her front door was kicked in and she simply stood there as the police rushed in with weapons drawn ordering her to drop hers. Letting the gun and the phone fall from her hands she raised them on autopilot, it seemed like an eternity before she could finally utter the words "I'm a Federal Agent".

She could feel the blood trickling down her chin from her lip, and she knew there would be a nasty bruise on her left cheek bone. The coffee table was beyond repair, and still she just stood there with her hands in the air even after the guns once trained on her were lowered.

The sound of Gibbs voice from the hallway was like a blanket of calm washing over her. Something as simple as a gruff "Make a hole!" was enough to make her feel like maybe it might be okay. Gibbs would fix it.

Fingers were gently wrapped around her chin before she could even process that he'd moved across the room, tipping her face side to side. Inspecting her wounds. "With me Kate? What's goin' on here?"

"He...he broke in… while I was at work. Wouldn't take no for an answer. Wouldn't leave. Kept grabbing me, threw me on the table there. Kicked him off and he hit me. I got over here and he came at me. I shot him Gibbs. Oh God I killed him…"

Strong arms were wrapping around her, "Shhh Kate. Shhhh. We'll get this settled. Go sit down, I'll get this sorted." He gently nudged her in the direction of her kitchen table and turned to speak with the LEOs, assuring them full co-operation, full copies of reports, and Kate's statement. With them gone, or at least outside he began making phone calls. Ducky. Tony. Tim. Once he was certain things would be taken care of he turned to the woman who was simply sitting in a chair staring at the man dead on her living room floor and sighed.

"Pack a bag Kate. We're heading out." When she didn't move he stepped in front of her and crouched down. "Kate? Kate!"

With a startled jump her eyes met his, "Sorry… Don't apologize I know…"

"Pack a bag Kate, we're leaving. The team will get this taken care of."

"I don't...where are we going? Shouldn't you be taking me into custody? I killed him Gibbs!"

"I am taking you into custody Kate. Go. Pack. A. Bag. Or I'll do it for you."

With a nod, Kate stood and trudged off towards her bedroom to fill a bag with a few changes of clothes and her travel kit full of toiletries. Heading back to the living room she simply moved towards the remains of her door as Ducky made his way in. His embrace was another layer of comfort, and his appraisal of her injuries made her smile a tiny bit. "I"m fine Ducky...really."

"There are more though aren't there? You should be looked over Caitlin…"

"Bumps and bruises is all."

With a faint smile he moved towards Gibbs and spoke in hushed tones. Assuring him that the body would be removed, the mess cleaned up and a report would be ready soon. With Kate secured in the car he began the drive home. They had been able to ride in a comfortable silence for quite a while now, but tonight it wasn't comfortable. Tonight he knew she was hurting and he wasn't exactly the best person to comfort a woman when she was upset.

"Kate...do you need me to stop anywhere? Do you need to be checked out? That is...did he… well…" This was harder than it should be.

"No Gibbs. I'm fine. And no he didn't get that far. Promise." Forcing a smile she glanced over to him, "Where are we going?"

"My house Kate. I told you they would take care of things, you'll stay with me tonight at least. I've got an extra bed."

"But I…"

"You protected yourself. We'll deal with it."

"But…"

"Damn it Kate! Don't make me say it again." Throwing the car into park he opened the door he threw it shut and headed for the door. The thought that some man thought he could break into Kates house and...do whatever he had planned angered him. IF he was honest it angered him on far more than just a professional level. Looking back at the car he rolled his eyes, and motioned for her to get out of the car already.

Climbing out of the car, Kate held tightly to her bag and made her way to the porch. Letting her boss usher her inside and up to the guest room, she knew she needed to snap out of it. Dropping her bag to the floor she simply collapsed into a seated position on the edge of the bed.

She hadn't heard him leave, nor had she heard him return until the cold ice pack was being gently pressed against her cheek and he was kneeling in front of her to remove her shoes. "I thought you weren't dating anyone...or so I heard. How'd this happen Kate?"

"Ex. Broke it off with him last year. I thought maybe he'd been following me but I had no proof, nothing to go on. Figured he'd moved on by now. What's going to happen Gibbs?"

"Tonight you're going to sleep. In the morning we'll write your statement down and go from there. You didn't do anything wrong, his fault for breaking in. His fault for assaulting you. You defended yourself, end of story. Called in some dinner, you comin' down or am I bringin' it up?"

"I'll be down. Where's the bathroom?"

"Across the hall, take your time."

He left, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up and take a moment to collect herself. She knew he didn't sleep much, she doubted she would tonight either. Perhaps he'd let her see the boat.

A/N 2: I may continue this, I'm not sure yet. The rating may have to go up if I do, but I'll make note of that if it should happen.


End file.
